


Piece of my heart

by Rebekah_Zellers



Series: Tadpole Series [12]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 04:31:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16033040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebekah_Zellers/pseuds/Rebekah_Zellers
Summary: It's Valentine's Day!  Love is in the air





	Piece of my heart

Thaddeus Gabriel DiNozzo was a lover, he loved everyone and everything. He was kind, loving and generous; he made his dad and grandfather very proud. Not long after he came to live with Tony, he had learned the joy of giving to others and how much watching someone smile made his heart have flip flops.

His enormous capacity to love was now causing a problem. He knew that he had to do what was right and that it would make more people smile, but he just couldn’t figure out how to do it. He had heard everyone talking about Valentine’s Day and how you give someone that you love a piece of your heart. This weighed greatly on the little mind; he loved a lot of people what if he ended up giving all of his heart away? How would he live?

“Abbytales?” Tad wandered into the lab at NCIS looking for his beloved Aunt.

“How’d you get down here by yourself?” Abby questioned as she picked up the little boy taking in his tear streaked face. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“I gave everyone the slip,” Tad explained. “They think I am taking a nap under the Ninja’s desk.”

“Why are you crying? Did you get scared?” Abby hugged the little boy tight.

“No,” Tad groaned. “Please Abbytales; you’re squeezing me too hard. You’re going to give me an embolism.”

“You were hanging around with Ducky again,” Abby snickered. “You don’t even know what an embolism is.”

“I do too!” Tad squirmed down to put his hands on his hips. “It’s a piece of junk that moves through the pipes in your body and then it stops the blood and you die.”

“Okay,” Abby sat shocked. “You do know what it is. That doesn’t explain why you are upset though.”

“Abby-tales,” Tad started pacing. “I just don’t know how I am going to do it. It’s a big ‘sponsibility and I have to ‘complish it for lots of people and what if I cut it wrongs?”

“Cut what honey?” Abby moved to sit on the floor so she could look at Tad. “What do you need to cut?”

“My heart,” Tad looked at Abby like she was nuts. “It’s Valentine’s Day soon. I got to give peoples that I love a piece of my heart.”

“Oh honey,” Abby pulled her nephew into a hug. “That just means you love them more and we give them little presents to say I love you.”

“Are you being straight with me?” Tad questioned as he placed his hands on Abby’s shoulders. “I have to give my heart to people away.”

“I am being straight with you,” Abby crossed her heart. “We make hearts out of paper and you write messages on them and give them to people. That’s how you give your heart to people.”

“Ohhhhhhhh,” Tad put his hand to his forehead and rubbed it. “Why don’t peoples just say that, Abbytales? I thoughts that I was going to have to gets my heart cut out like a dead people and then give pieces to people. I wasn’t going to have nothing left to pump my blood. I was getting really worried.”

“You spend too much time with Ducky.” Abby giggled. “We need to keep you out of autopsy.”

“But he needs me,” Tad sighed a huge, exaggerated sigh. “I’m a better helper than Uncle Jalmers.”

“I have no doubt about that,” Abby winked. “What if I take you shopping for your Valentine’s presents?”

“Okay,” Tad sat down on the floor and started counting on his fingers. “I think I need two hundred presents.”

“You do?” Abby giggled. “Do you want to make a list of everyone you want to give your heart to?”

“Okay,” Tad sighed deeply. “You bestest have lots of paper, I love a whole lot of people.”

Tad at Abby’s feet naming off all the people that he wanted to give Valentine’s to by the time he was done thinking, he was starving. “What do you think about going to get some food and let your dad know that you are safe and sound?”

“Let’s go!” The little guy jumped up and grabbed Abby’s hand. “I am so hungry I could eat a whole pizza all by myself.”

“Special Agent DiNozzo?” Abby called as they got off the elevator. “Are you missing someone?”

“Where did you go?” Tony picked up his son and hugged him tight.

“I gots in the ‘vator and pushed that button at the bottom and it tooks me to Abbytales. I saw grandpa do it before.” Tad explained the plan like it was the simplest thing in the universe.

“You don’t go anywhere unless you are with an adult.” Tony scolded his little boy only to have his heart break when huge tears appeared as the little man fidgeted to get down.

“I had big problems,” Tad sobbed. “I needed my Abbytales.”

“It’s okay,” Abby picked up the little boy and cuddled him close. “Your dad is just worried; he didn’t mean to be so rough. I will explain to him your big problems so he knows, ok?”

Abby took the time to explain to Tony and Gibbs that Tad was so worried about letting everyone down and how much it was consuming him. She told them how confused, he was about giving a piece of his heart to those he loves and how literal that he took it. By the time she was done, Tad had fallen asleep with his head on her shoulder sniffing in misery even in his sleep.

“Poor kid,” Vance said softly as he took the sleeping little boy from Abby. “I’m going to put him down to nap, in my office on the sofa. Why don’t you order some lunch and bring it up to him when it gets here.”

“Wait a minute,” Tony moved to take Tad only to stop when he saw the tear stained face even sound asleep the little boy looks so miserable. “Make sure you cover him up and don’t let him fall off. Do not leave him alone; he will wander off again.”

“I have children of my own, Agent DiNozzo.” Vance reminded.

“With all due respect, sir.” Tony stood tall. “That one is mine and I will do what I think is best to protect him. Now, as I said before, please do not let him fall off the couch and get hurt. I will be up with food very soon for him, sir.”

Tad woke up in Leon’s office finding himself alone. Sliding slowly off the sofa, the little boy went to the door and pushed it open. “Excuse me, Cynthia. Could you get the Secretary of the Navy on the line for me?”

“What should I tell her is the reason for the call?” Cynthia giggled.

“The Die-wector needs a time out.” Tad shrugged. “My daddy gave him an order and he didn’t follow it.”

“Well,” Secretary Porter smiled as she walked into the reception area. “I just happen to be out in the hallway when I heard your serious complaint, Thaddeus. What do you propose we do about this situation?”

“I think he needs a times out!” Tad put his arms up for SecNav to pick him up. “You are a pretty lady; I like your hair.”

“Why thank you; you are a little charmer.” Turning towards the door, Secretary of the Navy, Porter made her way down the stairs with Tad on her hip. “Leon! Did you leave this little fella alone?”

“Oh God,” Tony jumped up from his chair. “I am so sorry, Madame Secretary.”

“At ease, Agent DiNozzo. My issue is with Director Vance at the moment. Did you leave this little boy alone?” Secretary Porter was trying her hardest not to laugh.

“I did, Ma’am, but Cynthia was listening for him.” Leon defended realizing how absurd it sounded.

“I gots down all by myself and I opened the door all by myself and I still have to go potty and nobody has thoughts about that.” Tad grumbled.

“Oh,” the head of the Navy set her face in determination as he heels clicked across the floor towards the head. “I expect you to be right there when we come back.”

“Oh God,” Tony sighed. “My son is in the head with the Secretary of the Navy. Could this day get any worse?”

By the time the duo returned, Tad and Madame Secretary were walking hand in hand both giggling. “Thaddeus has asked me to be his Valentine; I will be coming over for dinner on Saturday, Agent DiNozzo. He wishes to dine with me and Dr. Cranston. He’s also requested the presence of the President; he has a few things he would like to discuss with him.”

“You’re not serious.” Tony joked lightly.

“Very serious,” the smile widened as the woman in charge turned to Leon. “Director Vance, we have decided that a fitting punishment for you would be to buy Chinese food for all of us. I would like to share Beef Lo Mein and Sweet and Sour Chicken with my new boyfriend. Please have our lunch delivered to MTAC, I am to understand that in this little guy’s backpack he has a copy of the best movie ever, Finding Nemo. We are going to go watch it.”

“Tad,” Tony called his son over for a moment. “Two women on Valentine’s Day? What is Rachel going to think?”

“She’s excited,” Tad giggled. “We called her from the head.”

“Wait, you had the Secretary of the Navy call Rachel so you could ask her out too?” Tony sighed; this was worse than he thought.

“Dad,” Tad shook his head. “I’m a charmer and I have killer eyes; the women are going to fall all over me. You have to understand that I’m going to have women falling at my feets; you better have deep pockets because they are ‘customed to nice things.”

Gibbs couldn’t contain his laughter; he was laughing so hard he had tears as he watched the little boy repeat word for word the things that Secretary Porter had said to him. It was no secret, she loved the little boy from the moment she met him.

“Grandpa?” Tad turned on his heels. “You’re the best around here right?”

“I am,” Gibbs nodded. “What’s on your mind?”

“I need a sea-turity detail for my lady,” Tad pointed to where Sarah was standing. “You gots a lot of dead SecNavs round here.”

“Tad,” Tony tried to push his little guy again. “Dinners like this take planning.”

“No sweat,” Tad giggled as he skipped over to hold hands with SecNav. “We’re having pizza. She is bringing brownies and Rachel is bringing chocolate milk. I need flowers, candy, teddy bears and candles. Abbytales has a list of all my love gifts. We gots to go buy Frozen. Chicks dig Frozen. Uncle Jalmers said so.”

“No way we can get out of this?” Tony gave a pleading look to SecNav.

“I will be over around noon.” The smile was bright and the posture relaxed; the lady was actually looking forward to her day with the little guy. “I’ll wear red and bring a Valentine for my Valentine.”

“Just what is Rachel going to think?” Tim tried to help Tony out.

“McElf Lord,” Tad shook his head. “You’re just jealous, man. I got this all planned out. I’m a love machine.”

The laughter in the bullpen rattled the windows. The agents that were on the other side of the partitions had been listening to the conversations as they took place; none of them, envying Tony’s forced dinner with the Secretary of the Navy, but none of them able to hold back at the antics of their favorite little guy.


End file.
